For the flood sequence, Michael Curtiz had a huge tank constructed, containing more than 1 million gallons of water, with access spillways leading to the tops of the Babylonian temple set. When cinematographer Hal Mohr questioned him about the lack of safeguards, Curtiz reportedly replied, "They're just going to have to take their chances." Mohr, a survivor of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire, was so appalled that he walked off the set. Barney McGill took over as cinematographer, and the stunt proceeded as planned. The water was released from the tanks, and 15 cameramen and countless extras thrashed about in the water for hours. Three people drowned, one had to have a leg amputated, and almost a dozen suffered broken limbs and other serious injuries.
Due to the deaths and injuries suffered on this film, stunt safety regulations were written and implemented the next year.
John Wayne, Ward Bond and Andy Devine were swimmers in the temple collapse sequence, but they are not recognizable among the hundreds of other swimmers.
Dolores Costello got pneumonia while working on this film. In later years, she expressed the horrors of filming it as "mud, blood, and flood," and said she close to drowning in one sequence.